A broken tooth can quickly become more than just a cosmetic issue. Even seemingly minor breakages can have significant repercussions when it comes to your oral health and overall well-being, and that’s not to mention the pain you may be in as a result of the break.
Understanding just how a broken tooth can impact your day-to-day living is vital to grasping the significance of these types of dental concerns. Exploring the best restoration options for your tooth and seeking professional help quickly is essential to maintaining your overall oral health. Luckily, there are a range of treatments available.
Here is our guide on the best treatment options available to treat a broken tooth – remember, a dental implant is not necessarily the go-to solution!
Why a Broken Tooth Matters
A broken tooth can happen as the result of an injury, decay, or even general wear and tear. Unfortunately, even seemingly minor broken tooth issues can lead to several complications if they’re not addressed quickly. We would always recommend our patients to seek professional dental advice as soon as possible following a broken tooth.
Our teeth are sensitive yet vital parts of the body, and just because they’re ‘exposed’ doesn’t mean you should ignore potential problems – you wouldn’t ignore a broken bone! Being exposed also means teeth are more susceptible to developing more serious issues, such as infection or ongoing pain.
Increased Sensitivity: A break can easily expose the inner layers of your tooth to the outside world. This leads to discomfort and even pain when you eat or drink something hot or cold, or breathe in cold air. This sensitivity won’t fix itself, and is a warning sign that the inner nerves of the tooth are exposed and need to be covered up.
Functionality: The function of a broken tooth is often significantly reduced, making it difficult to eat or chew using that area of the mouth. You may also find your tooth catches on your lip as you speak, which in some cases can lead to sores or cuts.
Risk of Infection or Gum Disease: When inner layers of the tooth are exposed, they become much more fragile. Any exposed tooth is more susceptible to bacteria, which could potentially lead to infection or disease that can affect surrounding teeth and gum tissue. Issues linked to infection can quickly become serious, even leading to sepsis if they’re not quickly addressed.
Aesthetic Considerations: Many patients with a broken tooth will seek treatment due to the aesthetic impact of the break and how this affects them. A visible crack or break can impact the appearance of your smile, affecting your confidence and how you interact on a social basis.
How a Dental Implant Helps
A dental implant is where a titanium base is implanted into the gum, and is designed to function as a substitute for what your natural tooth would have had with its root.
Here’s our explanation to how a dental implant may help if you have a broken tooth.
Lifelong Results: Dental implants can last a lifetime if they’re cared for correctly. This makes them a cost-effective solution in the long run, and potentially more affordable than having to constantly replace alternatives such as composite bonding or veneers designed to ‘fix’ the broken tooth.
Restored Functionality: Dental implants, when expertly applied, do function like natural teeth. They are specifically designed to achieve this, with the titanium ‘root’ offering structural support.
Help Prevent Bone Loss: Dental implants actually stimulate bone growth, as the jawbone naturally expects regular and sustained pressure to maintain its original shape. With a broken or lost tooth, the jawbone isn’t experiencing that same level of pressure in a uniform way – however when a titanium implant is applied, the contact between the two helps prevent the bone from breaking down.
Appearance: Expertly applied implants can provide a natural-looking restoration that fixes the broken tooth and can be carefully colour-matched to blend in with the surrounding teeth.
What Are the Alternatives to Dental Implants?
Although dental implants are an excellent solution for many patients that come to us with a broken tooth, there are a few alternatives you may also wish to consider. Many of these are just as effective at fixing broken teeth, though with a smaller price attached to the treatment.
Composite or Porcelain Veneers: Veneers are light, thin coverings designed to cover the front surface of the tooth. They are best for fixing most cosmetic repairs, such as chips or slight cracks to the surface. As a less invasive option than dental implants, veneers do not require the tooth’s integral structure to be removed. However, they aren’t suitable for severely damaged teeth.
Composite veneers are ideal for perfecting the appearance of teeth without having to alter the teeth underneath – so this makes them great when it comes to filling out chips or cracks in broken teeth.
Porcelain veneers use a more natural looking porcelain rather than the composite resin material used for composite veneers. Porcelain is semi-translucent, like natural teeth, and so this offers a more subtle enhancement at a more expensive price point.
Bonding: Composite bonding is a less invasive and more affordable option. The process involves the skilful application of a carefully matched tooth-coloured resin to the surface of the tooth. This is then shaped by your cosmetic dentist, before being hardened and cured with special lighting. Composite bonding can be a quick fix and is ideal for more minor repairs, but may not be as durable or long-lasting as implants.
Do I Need a Dental Implant?
Only a professional dentist can identify whether you need a dental implant following a broken tooth or not. If you are concerned about a broken tooth and would like an emergency appointment, call our Liverpool surgery. We will always endeavour to find the most suitable and long-lasting solution for your goals and budget.
Fix a Broken Tooth with Kamran Rasul Dental
At Kamran Rasul, our experienced dentists have years of practice dedicated to selecting the ideal treatments and solutions for dental and cosmetic complaints.
Call our knowledgeable team on 0151 433 9634 to find out more. Alternatively, email us at info@kamranrasul.com – or use our handy online messaging tool if you’d like us to get back to you.
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